


Life after

by Wallowinginthewoods



Series: Bucky saves peter from hydra, and their lives w the avengers after [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Irondad - Fandom, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), stony - Fandom
Genre: Angsty Bucky, Angsty lads, Bucky saves the kiddies, Don't expect me to have talent you foools, Gen, Hydra, Irondad, M/M, Other, Stony - Freeform, angsty stony, idk - Freeform, okay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-28
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2020-05-28 13:08:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19394791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wallowinginthewoods/pseuds/Wallowinginthewoods
Summary: After suffering HYDRA's abuse for far too long and watching two children he'd grown to love as his own endure torture too inhumane to imagine, Bucky seizes an opportunity to escape - and take them with him - together they travel miles to a place they hope will soon be home.Not a sequel to "Children of HYDRA" but in a similar universe ish. Basically I had no new ideas so I'm jsut milking the fics I already have for new stories :/





	Life after

It all seemed so long ago now. The muddle of memories he did have only added to that feeling, scraps of missions, the time he spent under HYDRA's control...and even a few scraps from the life he had before all....this. It was behind him now though, it was as many miles behind him as he could humanly put. It was hard to remember that when he awoke in cold beds, unsure of his surroundings, but he manage to ground himself, and prioritise. 

Peter and Fenya lay beside him, snuggled into the few blanket they had. He listened to their steady, sleeping breaths. They were all that mattered now, they always had been. HYDRA was bad, it was horrific and would likely haunt Bucky for the rest of his life, but it got a lot worse, worse than Bucky could have ever thought. He'd been there alone for years, their strongest asset, he only had to fear for himself, but then things changed. HYDRA had a new idea, and soon there were two innocent children in the whole dreadful mix. Bucky first met them when they were babies, they were addressed as Asset #2 and Asset #3, Bucky didn't know what was going to happen to them, but he knew they deserved better, so they became Peter and Fenya, and he love them above all else. 

As they grew, their plan became clearer. They were strong being human capability and by far smarter than any usual adult let alone child. They began to train, HYDRA noticed Bucky's weakness for them and decided to take advantage of it. The three of them would train together, with the end goal of HYDRA being able to send out three indestructible soldiers instead of just one. At least that's what Bucky had been told, it turns out their purpose was much more...specific. They had been intelligent and powerful before HYDRA could stick their needles in them. Grown in labs with stolen DNA, they were the children of super soldiers and geniuses....well one super soldier and one genius in particular. 

With the mix of memories from his past, knowledge of Peter and Fenya's capabilities and personal understanding of HYDRA's inhumane determination, Bucky knew he had to stop this. At age eight, they were determined ready for their first mission, so..right underneath HYDRA's noses, Bucky made their great escape. Notifying his handlers of a slip up with the children, he bough himself an escape as the building they were supposed to be in crumbled behind them. That's brought him here, in a dark apartment in the outskirts of Brooklyn, with two snoozing seven year old twins snuggled into his side. 

Bucky was confident in his plan...or at least parts of it. He was heading to the safest place - for the twins - that he could think of. Their fathers. He would have been fine with the journey, laying low and going undetected came easier to him, and it would have now as well...had it not been for certain complications that had arisen during their escape from HYDRA. Despite her strength and wit, Fenya was still a relatively small child, and had taken some of her fathers childhood traits. In the first few days of their journey, whilst trekking through n the outskirts of Canada, she had became to cough and wheeze, growing weaker the further they walked. At first it was manageable, they'd take breaks in the day and keep warm at night, but it all went to shit on a particularly tough day. The weather had been unforgiving, Fenya walked behind he father figure and brother, blankets draped over her shoulders. Not quite looking where she was going, she had failed to notice the change in texture beneath her feet, and in a matter of seconds - and a scream out to Bucky - she had fallen through a weak piece of ice, into freezing waters. Bucky dropped their bags and resources instantly and dove to the ground, plunging his metal arm into the water. Luckily for them, the water was still, and without a current to pull her away, Fenya had sank into the water and spluttered in shock, relieved as a familiar hand tugged her up to air. To say the least, that had taken a toll on Bucky's confidence 

Now he had a feverish and faint Fenya to care for instead of the normally resilient one. Following these events, and the trauma of his early childhood, Peter had grown frightened and anxious, unwilling to ever leave Bucky's side which only added to the difficulties of keeping them all alive. 

But here they were, together, under four blankets, the twins clothes in jumpers 5 sizes too big and gripping to Bucky as if he were their life line..which to a point, he was. He'd kept them safe their whole lives, bargaining with the HYDRA agents to treat them less roughly and now taking them far away from that evil place. He had explained to them the plan, how they were on their way to their parents home, where Fenya could get better and they'd be safe from HYDRA. They didn't completely understand the concept of parents who would keep them safe, only having scientists and agents as references of authority, anyway..why would they need that when they had Bucky, he had always done everything for them that he described parents as. They didn't question him too much though, they were glad to just be safe with him. 

In the morning, a few hours away, Bucky would steal a car and leave the part of the city that triggered memories from his past, and complete the final part of their journey, ending up at the Avengers Compound he had managed to locate. The man he remembered, Steve, his best friend, he knew was trustworthy, he knew the twins would be safe there. He couldn't imagine men that dedicated their lives to helping and saving the lives of others sending away their own children, he could see them throwing him to the curb, he was a murderer...this isn't about him though. As he watched the sunrise through the broken blinds covering the window, he felt the bundle beside him stir.

"Good morning bud." Bucky smiled, pushing the sad thought to the back of his mind to look down at a bed head clad Peter. His eyes were droopy with sleep but he peeked on open and smiled up at the older man. 

"Are we almost there?" 

"Almost, we'll go in a few hours and then we just need to drive a little while and then we'll be at your Dad's home." Bucky explained, reaching a hand forwards to tidy Peter's brown curls. 

"And they're gonna help Fen." He mumbled under his breath, slipping back into sleep. 

"Yeah..they're gonna help Fen." His eyes wandered from the boy whose eyes had slipped shut and breathing steadied, to his twin who slept beside him. He reached his hand forwards to feel her forehead - still feverish. He'd had to carry he this final part of their journey, she'd been getting weaker and weaker, he didn't like to show it in front of Peter...but he was scared. He was so scared they'd make it all this way and it be too late. That they'd lose her because he wasn't careful enough, because he hadn't kept an eye on them the whole while they were travelling. In a few hours they'd leave, and then a few hours after that he'd sneak into the Avengers Compound under the cover of darkness and tell Steve and Tony of all that'd happened in the last eight years. In a few hours everything would be okay. 

With that thought, he let himself fall asleep beside the children he would give his life for. An arm draped over their small bodies tugging the blankets over them and enveloping them in warmth and a feeling safety. 

Hours passed and soon the evening was upon them. Bucky sat up on the old mattress that acted as the sole piece of furniture in the apartment. He slid out from under the covers, making sure they were still firmly over the children, and pulled his backpack towards him. He took a moment to read over the pages of a journal he'd been writing in, each entry contained a memory he'd been struck by ever since leaving HYDRA's clutches. Sometimes, after the twins fell asleep, he would let himself get lost in the pieces of his old life he could remember, trying to imagine the simpler times he'd lost. But he didn't have time now. He shoved the notebook to the back of his bag and pulled out 4 rolls he'd found wrapped in plastic and dumped behind a bakery the previous day, and a large bottle of water - Of course the apartment didn't have running water, of course. 

He glanced at his watch, they needed to go in 20 minutes to make it to the compound for sunset. He wasn't quite sure how he was going to get inside undetected, and then explain everything to Tony and Steve before he was cuffed and sent to some high security prison, but he'd find a way. So, nudging Peter awake, he handed him his breakfast. The young boy grumbled at the rude awakening and sat up, munching on his slightly stale bread. Bucky moved over to Fenya, shaking her lightly before she woke up, glancing up and him and coughing. 

"I know - I know, but I just you to eat something before we go..the sooner we leave the sooner you're gonna get better..okay?" Fen moved her head slightly in a weak nod before taking Bucky's outstretched hand and sitting up, using her brother as supports as she slumped over and took a bite out of her breakfast. 

After eating an drinking, and running hands through their messy hair until they looking slightly respectably, they left. With hoods up and Freya in Bucky's arms, they snuck down ad dark alleyway with an abandoned car at the end. Setting Fenya down carefully beside Peter, Bucky began his work on the car. After a few minutes, he were inside with the engine running. He wasn't 100% sure it'd make the journey but he didn't have time to doubt himself now. He instructed Peter to climb in the back, he took Fenya when Peter move, lifting her into his arms once more and securing her with the sear belt beside her brother. He lent over them both to spread a blanket over them - which they quickly pulled closer, and shut the car door. He cringed as he shut the driver seat's door, it squeaked with rust, but it worked...for now. 

Soon, he pulled out the cold alleyway and started hi way out of Brooklyn. He wore a cap over his head a thick sweater covered his metal arm. He knew the threat HYDRA posed, he knew how easily they could be caught and taken right back again. He couldn't see that happen, so he sped a little along the busy roads of Brooklyn, guiding his way through the city, anxious to end the final 2 hours of his journey and finally reach safety. 

The hours ticked by slowly and soon the sun was setting behind him, Peter and Fenya sleeping snuggled up on the backseat. Bucky knew he was close when he saw several expensive cars driving in and out of a country road. Wanting to draw as little attention as possible, Bucky carried on driving down the main road he was on until he reached a dead ended road turning left. He pulled the car in, parking as well hidden as he could, before turning the engine off and taking a deep breath. 

This was it.

They actually made it. 

"Are we here?" Peter's sleepy voice came from the backseat. They were all exhausted, they'd travelled day and night to get here. 

"Almost..it's right through there Pete." Bucky told the young boy, pointing ahead of them through the dirty windscreen of the car. 

They sat in silence for a moment before Bucky got to work. He stepped out his side of the car and walked to the back door, pulling it open to let Peter out. The drowsy boy slid out the car, dragging the backpack behind him before lifting it over his shoulders and waiting behind Bucky. Leaning into the car, he nudged Fen gently to wake her. He'd tried to ignore the seriousness of her illness, but know they were so close he could really take note. She was pale, sweat gathered on her brown and above her lip, she shivered slightly as she woke up and pulled the blanket tighter around her. 

"We're here Fen..just a little walk and we can get you some proper medicine." He smiled, trying to reassure the worry he'd seen building in her the last few days as her state weakened. 

"Not the gross stuff you made me take before?" She asked, making Bucky chuckle at the memory of the drugstore medicine he'd managed to get her - and her passionate reaction to it's foul taste. 

"No, this stuff will taste like strawberries, I promise." Fen mumbled an 'okay' and sat up, crawling towards Bucky as he turned around to let her climb onto his back. She still had her blanket tightly around her as she wrapped her legs around Bucky's waist and draped her arms around his neck, tired from that exercise alone, she laid her head down on his shoulder and rested her eyes. Bucky kicked the car door closed as quietly as he could, and motioned to Peter to stay close beside him as they began the final short stretch of their journey. 

It was tricky not to trip as they walked through the dark woods, tree trunks and small animals acted as constant obstacles in their path. But with the knowledge that soon they would be warm and the twins would be safe, they trudged on, soon arriving at the edge of the trees. Peter looked out with wide eyes at the large building in front of him. it was partially lit, only a few people still awake, and it was incredible. 

"Hey Peter?" Bucky spoke softly, catching the boys eager attention. "You're going to stay here with you sister for a few minutes while I go inside, alright?"

"What! nononono - I'll come with you, I'll be quiet I promise-" The boy filled quickly with anxiety, only quieting when Bucky cut him off. 

"I'm coming right back Peter, but I need you to be brave right now for me..can you do that? Because I need to go inside and explain everything to your fathers, and if anybody else finds out I'm here, they'll get angry. I promise you Peter, I'm coming right back, and then we can all go inside and be safe..okay?" Bucky begged, there was no way he could get inside with Peter and Fen and not be caught..no, he had to go alone and explain the situation, then Steve and Tony can help the twins and he can leave them be. 

"O-okay." Bucky beamed down at him, trying to calm the frightened child. He slipped Fenya off his back, the girl only stirring slightly as she was moved, and laid her down against a tree beside Peter who quickly crawled under he blankets with her. 

"I'm coming right back Peter, close your eyes and rest now, I'm coming right back." Bucky spoke softly, pressing a kiss to both the children's heads before tightening the blankets around them and sneaking out of the woods once he was reassured that they were napping. 

Once he crossed the lawn, he found out that actually getting into the compound was easier than he had expected. He stalked quietly through several rooms before making it to watch he assumed was some kind of communal lounge, he wasn't sure how we was going to present himself to Steve and Tony, if he would just burst through their bedroom door or knock...he'd hadn't planned that far, but the need to dispersed as he turned around. 

"Fuck. No." There he stood, coffee pot and mug in his hands, staring at the intruder in shock, Tony Stark. "Friday get Steve, now."

"I need to speak to you." Bucky spoke gruffly. 

"Yeah I think I'm gonna be asking the questions here kiddo." Tony retorted, setting his drink down and looking the man in front of him over. "You really are alive huh?"

Before Bucky could reply or explain the urgency of the situation, the door to the room opened to reveal a confused looking Steve with head of messy blonde hair and clad in jogging bottoms and a sweater. 

"Tony what is i-" His voice cut off as he saw his best friend, who at this point, he had been searching for, for the past 7 months. "Bucky." 

"Your old chum decided to pop by Stevie, believe me, I'm just as confused as you." Tony snarled, irritation growing as more time passed without any of the questions whirling through his mind went unanswered. 

"I need to-" Bucky tried again. 

"Oh my god...Buck y-you're here, are you okay?" Steve rambled, rushing over to his old friend and going to check him over before held a hand up to stop him, and speak again. 

"This isn't about me."

"Then who's it about!" Tony asked, the commotion attracting more avengers to the scene. Natasha, Clint and Sam stood bewildered in the doorway, both at their visitor and what said visitor had just exclaimed. 

"Your children!"

"Okay what the fuck is going on here?" Clint asked, getting everybody's attention, even Steve and Tony who were staring back at Bucky in utter shock. This was not how it was supposed ton go, he was going to deliver Peter and Fen to safety in a smooth and quiet manner...Peter and Fen who were still sat outside, alone.

"Your children. We got away from HYDRA, but they need you..Fen's sick. So can you all listen for 3 seconds." Bucky demanded. 

"W-we have children...and they're....they're here?" Steve asked, fear contorting his features as the news of a previously unknown fatherhood now filled his mind. 

"Yes. And if you don't mind, I'd quite like it if they survived." Bucky's tone was cold, he had one job and he was going to do it if it no matter what. 

"Where?" Tony spoke, voice steady and eyes unwavering. 

After a few more minutes of argument, Bucky was sitting at a conference table, cuffed to a chair, with Sam and Clint watching over him as according to Tony he wasn't trustworthy, while Tony, Steve and Natasha followed his precise directions to Peter and Fen. To state the obvious, he hated all of this. He'd prmosied Peter he'd be right back and now three strangers were going to show up to take him...he was going to be terrified. 

"Are they really Steve and Tony's kids?" Sam asked, curious as to how lying about such a thing could benefit Bucky. 

"Yes"

"How?" Clint asked. "How did HYDRA end up with Steve and Tony's children?" 

"They're resourceful. They wanted new assets built to fight their biggest threats. I don't know how they got the DNA, but they're definitely theirs." Bucky explained, staring off into the distance, mind still buzzing. 

"And why do you have them?" Sam's tone pushed all sorts of buttons in Bucky's mind, but he knew the easier he was, the sooner he could be back with Peter and Fenya.

"I looked after them in..there. And however bad you think I am, I wan't about to leave them there. Hell, they're the only reason I escaped, if it were just me in there..I wouldn't have bothered." 

A silence settled in the conference room as the two men watching over Bucky began to realise the sincerity in his story. Could this man who had done so many terrible things, have saved their best friend's kids? Could what Steve preached about Bucky being the victim..be true?

There they sat. A few more minutes passed in silence as all three men got lost in the trains of thought buzzing through their minds. This was so far from the night any of them could have expected, but it was soon changed again as the scream of a young child broke through the air. 

Natasha, Tony and Steve - with a sleeping Fenya in his arms - rushed by the conference room, likely on their way to the med bay, with Peter trailing beside them. Tony and Natasha had clearly been trying to calm him as he was already in tears, but all effort was in vain as Peter caught site of Bucky through the glass between the hallway and the conference room. 

"Bucky!" The boy who seemed much smaller than his age yelled out, catching the man he was calling for's attention. He broke free from his father's hold and began pounding small fists against the thick glass, tears staining his cheeks as he descended into hysterics. "Bucky!"

Bucky stood quick;y, easily bending the metal of the hand cuffs apart and rushing to the door of the room he had been 'trapped' inside, before anyone could stop him. He swung the door open and outstretched his arms to the boy who eagerly jumper into them, sobbing into his neck and wrapping mud dusted legs around his waist as he wailed out his name. 

"Shhhh, I'm here now Peter, everything's okay." Bucky stroked the younger boy's mop of brown curls gently and soothed him the best he'd learn over his time with the two children. The adults in the hallway, Sam and Clint too as they followed Bucky out the room, stared in shock at the sight before them. 

"Dr Banner requests I remind you of the urgency of you bringing the two children to the med bay." Friday's monotone voice rang through the hallway, jolting people back to the present. 

"Steve, Steve!" Bucky snapped, urging Steve to focus on the matter at hand. Understanding his friend's pleads, Steve hurried on down the hall, Fen still firmly in his arms and the rest of the group following after him. Waiting for them in the med bay was Bruce, he stood over a bed with a sheet over it. Steve approached him and laid his daughter down gently, resting her head carefully against the pillow Bruce had set for her. 

"Anyone who isn't a parent or immediately helpful to the children, please leave." Bruce commanded. Natasha, Clint and Sam looked around at each other and back at Bruce, once receiving a nod from him they hesitantly left the room. "Right, now Bucky, tell me what's going on with her." 

Bucky stepped forwards from where he had previously been standing a little away from the group, Peter still in his arms. Steve lifted his arms out to take his son from Bucky as the man approached the medical table that carried Fenya. Peter popped his head up and shied away from Steve, causing the father to sadden slightly and step away from his fearful son. Peter slid out of Bucky's arms and nestled into his side, making it easier for him to focus on making sure Bruce had all the necessary details of Fenya's current state. 

"She started coughing - wheezing kinda like Steve used to, a couple days after we escaped. She was doing okay but then..." Bruce continued to check Fen over as Bucky spoke, not pausing as the information halted. 

"Then?" Tony asked, angry that he still didn't have all the details of the children that were supposedly his and Steve's. 

"She um, she fell through the ice..we were hiking through this woods, almost out of Canada, and she was tired and didn't see where she was going and she- it, broke. She was only in the water for a few seconds but she's been a lot worse since then, feverish..exhausted, she only ate when I made her." Bucky explained, trying to ignore the winces coming from Steve with each added detail of his daughter's struggle. 

"Okay, well, she definitely has a bad fever but I'm going to give her some strong antibiotics and we should see-" Bruce began to explain.

"They won't work." Bucky cut in, catching another glare from Tony, "The serum effected them both, normal medicine doesn't work with their metabolism and I used the last of the tablets I stole from HYDRA when she first got sick..I mixed it with the strongest stuff I could find in a store and it still did a half asses job." 

"Do you know to what degree the serum effects them?" Bruce asked. "Because if it's the same level as Steve, I have some that'd work."

"I..I think so - I'm not sure but they're certainly strong..strong as Steve woulda been as a kid if he'd had the serum I reckon." Bucky tried to rack his brain for any information HYDRA might have slipped up on and let him overhear but there was nothing. 

"Okay..I'll try her on a low dose and we should start seeing improvements." Bruce explained as he began to hook an IV up to Fen's small arm. 

"We're doing DNA tests too Brucey." Tony told him, instantly gaining a reaction from the two men closest to him. 

"Tony!" Steve exclaimed. 

"Have you seen the kids, Stark?" Bucky spoke in a calm and calculate tone. "They're basically your clones. And anyway, your not sticking any needles more than necessary near them." 

Tony and Steve looked at the two children for a second, taking precise note of their features. Fen had Steve's blonde hair and his eyes too, whereas her nose and mouth were similar to Tony's, Peter was the opposite, with Tony's iconic dark hair and eyes and Steve's mouth and elements of his facial structure. Bucky was right, they were almost clones of their fathers. 

"Hair colour doesn't prove anything." Tony sighed. "We'll take saliva swabs once they're recovering."

"Is she going to be okay..Peter too?" Steve asked once a silence had settled after Tony's comment, nobody was in the mood to argue with him right now, they had more important things to think about. 

"We'll see how the antibiotics help but yes, she should be fine. And as for Peter, if you don't mind popping up here, I can check you over." Bruce smiled, patting another bed as he left Fen stable and hooked to her IV. 

Peter looked up at Bucky for reassurance, once he got a nod of approval he untangled himself from the older man and turned towards the bed. With a little help from Bucky, he scrambled up on top and sat down, eyes avoiding contact with anyone but Bucky. As Bruce began his examination, Bucky noticed Steve and Tony watching him closely. Maybe it had finally clicked in their minds that, sitting in front of them, was there living, breathing son. As on who was scared of them. 

"Bucky?" Peter called out, voice quiet and mumbled. 

"Yeah bud?" Tony's skin crawled with irritation at how trusty Peter was of Bucky, clearly this man had helped his son when he couldn't, and boy did that make him angry. He was beyond glad Peter was safe, fatherly protective instinct kicking in, but he was furious that he hadn't been the one to protect the young boy. 

"When are we going home?" Tony tried to hide his hurt, covering his face in his hands, Steve was blatant however, sighing and turning around to try and control his emotions. This wasn't home to their son. Their own son was scared of them, he felt unsafe. And that destroyed them. 

"Where do you mean Peter?" Bucky pressed, fearful that the boy might be missing the cold walls of HYDRAS that had been the closest thing to 'home' his seven years on earth. 

"The cold place in Brooklyn...or the one in the woods with the snow...or somewhere else, me and Fen don't mind." Peter told Bucky, looking up now at him from where he sat on the bed, Bruce taking notes on a clipboard behind him. 

"Pete..we're - you're - staying here. This is the place I was telling you about, where you'll be safe, with your dads, okay?" Bucky tried to explain, it was true that Peter and Fen had never quite understood why they would be staying with strangers and calling an unknown house their home, but they trusted Bucky and never felt the need to question him. 

"Where are you going?" Peter's voice was small, matching his hunched up position. "You can't go." 

"You're safe here Peter, I would never leave you or Fen somewhere you wouldn't be loved and cared for and I'm..I'm gonna go away for a little bit. I can't stay here the same way you can." Tony's gaze met the floor. He knew he was the reason his children - he didn't need a test, screw what he said, they were his blood - were being ripped from the clutches of the one person who had made them feel safe and loved their whole lives. He was the ones hurting them now. 

"You can't go, you can't leave us." Peter had begun to cry now and Bucky walked towards him in an attempt to offer comfort. "Don't leave me." 

"Peter, I can't stay. I'll visit you I promise, and I'll wait until Fen's better and you're settled." Bucky tried to calm the boy in his arms down but he retaliated by hitting the man in front of hims chest with his small fists. "Peter."

"You promised you wouldn't leave me!" Peter wailed, growing hysterical as his hits grew harder and Bucky began to feel the full brunt of the tiny super soldier. "You said you were coming right back!"

"Peter I can't-" 

"He's not going anywhere Peter." Tony's voice cut through the episode playing out int he med bay. "Buckaroo, you can stay in on of the spare rooms, we have too many anyway."

Bucky looked at the man in surprise, bewildered by the fact that Tony Stark had just offered up his home to a man he undoubtedly saw as his enemy. He wasn't about to argue it though, he would snatch up any opportunity to stay with the twins, no matter what awkward living circumstances came with. 

And that, in the quibble filled med bay of the avengers compound, is how it all began.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> I kinda trailed off path with this but I kinda like it. I'm thinking of making it into a series with lil one shots from their lives together, any thoughts / ideas ?
> 
> Please comment any requests for the next parts and for any general one shots you wanna see!
> 
> **unedited


End file.
